Here's a much scaled down copy of a map I've been working on to help me visualize the secondary world of a novel I'm trying to write while unemployed. The National borders on the map are the major focus of this draft. Labels are temporary, mainly because I just started using Inkscape. The base map came from here (http://www.shadedrelief.com/world/index.html). The final map will have text noting the sources, etc.

Also attached is a clipping from a Gimp image demonstrating the shading I will be using for the final.

The story takes place in an earth that had some significant historical differences from our own.

ravells

03-24-2009, 03:59 AM

I really like the colour scheme you've used here. Two suggestions to try:

1. A very faint diagonal hatch within the borders of each country
2. Using a 'glow' border rather than just a black line.

May look better or worse but worth having a play with.

Jykke

03-24-2009, 09:51 AM

Looking good, have some rep :)

cancerlad

03-24-2009, 10:21 AM

Another study on styles. I believe that eventually I'll have to break the map up into small parts to incorporate all the information I'd like them to convey. Each of the major Empires (England, France, Russia, Germany, etc) will have their own map. This is the start of the French map.

I started with France because they're one of the smaller Empires and I knew what colors they would be using.

Thanks Jykke!

Edit: Seems to be something wrong with my attachment. I think I set the export up wrong... Grr.

Edit: Replaced attached map with one that I didn't mess up.

landorl

03-24-2009, 04:47 PM

There's something oddly familiar about that world... I just can't put my finger on it...

overlordchuck

03-24-2009, 10:37 PM

There's something oddly familiar about that world... I just can't put my finger on it...

Just another Middle-earth clone. Everyone copies Tolkien for some reason.

cancerlad

03-25-2009, 01:21 PM

There's something oddly familiar about that world... I just can't put my finger on it...

Well, it is earth... Just what it would look like if several historical events didn't play out in the same way. Such as World Wars I and II, the Japan-Russia wars of the early 1900s, and many of the the brush-fire wars by the gunpowder empires.

Just another Middle-earth clone. Everyone copies Tolkien for some reason.

:x

A. That's not very nice.
B. It is not Middle Earth.
C. I really don't understand how you arrived at it being a middle-earth clone. Was it my use of the term 'secondary world', because that's not exclusively Tolkien.
D. Any modern fantasy is inherently Tolkien-esque due to his profound influence on the genre. So even if an author didn't reference Tolkien directly, simply by being in genre, they are copying him.

Steel General

03-25-2009, 01:52 PM

I think overlordchuck was joking

cancerlad

03-25-2009, 01:57 PM

I think overlordchuck was joking

If he was, I appologize. Needs some emoticon or something. Grumble.

MadLetter

03-25-2009, 02:03 PM

I really really like your map. The borders and all look very nice and the lands seem interesting.

by the way: Make germany powerful! ;)

Don't forget germany too had colonies back in the day! :)

cancerlad

03-25-2009, 02:28 PM

I really really like your map. The borders and all look very nice and the lands seem interesting.

by the way: Make germany powerful! ;)

Don't forget germany too had colonies back in the day! :)

Don't worry, Germany (or The Great Prussian Empire) is amazingly huge. Here's a partial list of their holdings:
Deutsch-Neuguinea (hald of the island of New Guinea and many islands)
Deutsch-Ostafrika (Burundi, Rwanda and Tanganyika)
Deutsch-SŘdwestafrika (Namibia)
Kamerun (Camerun and Nigeria)
Kiautschou Bay (small)
Klein Venedig (Columbia)
Patagonien, SŘdliche (the Southern 2/3 of Argentina)
Prussia (Germany and most of Poland)
Yantai (small)

The big winner in my alternative history is Denmark (which I refer to as the Danelaw). They control the Netherlands, so most of the Dutch Colonies are controlled by the Danes. Sadly, many of the hodings are small, but they're EVERYWHERE. They really control the seas, striking with small swift ships from their island holdfasts... Let's face it, the only thing cooler than Vikings are Ninjas.

I'm interested on how this continues... esp. once I can *see* the Prussian Empires Holdings.

Keep going! :D

cancerlad

03-25-2009, 02:52 PM

I'm interested on how this continues... esp. once I can *see* the Prussian Empires Holdings.

I have a fan. I may cry... Sniffle. :)

Prussia is the next Empire Map I'm doing. So you won't have to wait more than a few days.

MadLetter

03-25-2009, 03:04 PM

*greedily rubs hands*

By the way, would you mind telling me/us how you're doing the borders? They look really nice! :)

overlordchuck

03-26-2009, 12:16 PM

I think overlordchuck was joking

Indeed I was. I thought it was sufficiently obvious enough that an emoticon was unnecessary.

Any modern fantasy is inherently Tolkien-esque due to his profound influence on the genre. So even if an author didn't reference Tolkien directly, simply by being in genre, they are copying him.

I would agree for the most part, but I began reading historical fantasy last summer, which is so distinctly different than the generic high fantasy genre. Currently reading the second book from "Monarchies of God" by Paul Kerney. Also read three books by Guy Gavriel Kay, and "A Song of Ice and Fire" series by Guy Gavriel Kay. The latter is by far the best series I have ever read in my life. I suggest everyone alive go get all four books and read them immediately.

cancerlad

03-26-2009, 12:38 PM

Indeed I was. I thought it was sufficiently obvious enough that an emoticon was unnecessary.

Once again, I apologize. Don't know y'all or your senses of humor. There are assholes out there, after all! ;)

Also read three books by Guy Gavriel Kay, and "A Song of Ice and Fire" series by Guy Gavriel Kay. The latter is by far the best series I have ever read in my life.

Yes. G.R.R. Martin (http://grrm.livejournal.com/) is a god. A slothenly (http://krkreuk.livejournal.com/) god. Where the heck (http://grrrm.livejournal.com/) is A Dance with Dragons?

Ramah

03-26-2009, 12:39 PM

"A Song of Ice and Fire" series by Guy Gavriel Kay.

:shock:

Wash your mouth out sir!

Edit: Gah! Cancerlad noticed the mistake first.

And aye... I remember getting A Game of Thrones from the book club I used to be in when it came out in hardback... if I'd known then that he'd only be halfway through the series all these years later I'd have sent the damn thing back. :(

overlordchuck

03-26-2009, 02:50 PM

Oops, meant George R.R. Martin. Sorry for that blasphemy. Had just typed out how I had read some Guy Gavriel Kay and I guess I just had Gs on the mind. And indeed, he is a godly example of fantasy authory (now officially decreed a word). And he really does need to hurry his self up.

EDIT: There don't seem to be any assholes on this forum, surprisingly. We all seem to be some fairly tolerable folk here.

waldronate

03-26-2009, 04:33 PM

There are assholes out there, after all! ;)

Hey! I resemble that! ;)

Karro

03-27-2009, 01:15 PM

EDIT: There don't seem to be any assholes on this forum, surprisingly. We all seem to be some fairly tolerable folk here.

QFT. It's refreshing in an online board, you know?

cancerlad

04-03-2009, 11:43 AM

I know I said there would be updates shortly, and that I'd finish France and do Greater Prussia soon. Sadly, I've been sidetracked by other projects lately. Hopefully I'll finish the map of the Empire of the Franks soon.

Other projects have included:
1. downloading the many photos stored on my camera and labeling them
2. writing scripts to manage my Yojimbo database (six scripts, took me four days)
3. working for my friend's record label (he's not paying me, so its not a job)
4. I actually got around to reading a book I've been meaning to for about three months.
5. performing a clean install of my MacBook pro, and imaging it at various stages.